Thursday, 10 November 2011

The Seven Day Challenge

“If you had unlimited funds and could have one bike for every day of the week, what bikes would you choose? Please do a blog post listing which bike you would choose for which day of the week and why”.

As a biking Blogger, how could I resist this? The simple answer is, I couldn’t. Here is my list....

Monday

I would have to start the week with what is probably the bike that started this bug of motorcycling for me. As a kid, I used to go watch motorcycling at a race circuit called Brands Hatch and the single rider that made the most impression on me was Barry Sheene. I idolised this guy with his outstanding riding style, long hair, good looks and a seemingly endless supply of beautiful women by his side. The bike I remember watching him ride the most and the bike he won his two 500cc World Championships on was a Heron-Suzuki like the one in the picture below. I would love to own this bike and would ride it every Monday in honour of my early-age hero, Barry Sheene....

Tuesday

On a Tuesday, I would like to pay homage to a guy called Larry Desmedt. Like many, he became interested in motorcycles at an early age. His early life was full of trouble and after being convicted of bank robbery and spending time in prison, he turned his life around by concentrating on building motorcycles. Indian Larry as he became known crafted some of the most beautiful custom motorcycles the world has ever seen. Larger than life itself, Indian Larry was a true master of building bikes. His talents are sorely missed by all in the custom bike industry. This is one of his wonderful bikes, which I would love to own and would cherish every Tuesday....

Wednesday

On a Wednesday, I would look to the past and want to ride a Brough Superior SS100. Just 3048 Superiors were made between 1919 to 1940 and about 1000 still exist today. Each individual SS100 bike was test ridden to more than 100mph before delivery. Lawrence of Arabia owned seven of these bikes and died from injuries sustained while crashing one, and one of the doctors attending him was so affected by the incident he began a long study of what he saw as the unnecessary loss of life by motorcycle riders. His research led to the use of crash helmets. I have seen four Brough Superiors in one collection and I would definately want one as part of my seven day rides....

Thursday

By Thursday, I would want to move away from nostalgia and have some fun. I have never owned a dirt bike, but I would want one. I don’t know much about them and have no preference regarding which make or model, so I chose one at random from the web. I am sure one of my biking buddies would teach me the finer points of riding one....

Friday

Each Friday, I would look at my bikes and wonder what to ride just before the weekend. Because it carried me around the USA without complaint or problem, I would have to keep my 2006 Harley-Davidson Road King called the Leading Ladies and ride this bike each Friday to celebrate that once in a lifetime ride of 20,000 miles in such a great country....

Saturday

Saturday is a day to ride and be seen, so having an eye catching bike would be my Saturday choice. For me, it would have to be a custom bike and I would want to combine a classic bike from the past with the modern styling of today. I have admired the work of California based bike builder Matt Hotch and last year he produced a custom bike with a Vincent Black Shadow engine. The bike is a stunning collaboration of old and new and I can see myself cruising through London on the bike on a Saturday evening. How cool is this bike.....

Sunday

I have saved the best until last, for this bike combines my two true motorcycling loves – touring and customs. It is a bike that will allow me to go touring on a true custom bike. The trouble is, I cannot show you a picture yet, because building it has only just started. You will have to wait until the Spring to see what it looks like....

Okay, that is only six bikes really, so here goes with my seventh, until my new custom tourer is ready. I would go for the MV Augusta F4 Corse because it is the sexiest bike I think I have ever seen. This is pure art....

11 comments:

Gary,Some wonderful choices there mate and I guess it goes to show just how many great bikes there are.

Funnily enough, the book I chose as my GCE "O Level" prize 47 years ago (eek) was "The Rolls Royce of Motorcycles" about the Brough. I still have it packed away in one of the unopened boxes since our last move!

Thanks so much for the excellent choices and am really looking forward to the unveiling of your tease!!!

A truly eclectic choice. Especially the Saturday bike is a real eye catcher. Pure eroticism on two wheels if I may say so.I am so curious about your custom touring bike. But where would that leave the Leading Ladies?Will you take pictures as it is being built?

Geoff – It has been fun to look at everyone’s 7 choices to see just how different our biking preferences are. While I will likely never own one, I would love to ride a Brough. I will start posting build pictures of the new bike when there is something to show.

Dave – I await with interest what you will choose for your seven.

Sonja – I have recently had the timing / camshaft system on the Leading Ladies rebuilt as that is the most likely area to cause a major failure on a high-mileage Harley. That was a purely preventative measure “in case” and shows my commitment to keep the LL long-term. Yes, to pictures of the new bike – soon!

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What is this blog about?

This blog was originally started to record a five month, 21000 mile tour of the US on my Harley-Davidson. I continue to use this blog to record my own motorcycling adventures, wherever they may be, along with my thoughts and opinions about motorcycling generally.

About Me

Having devoted most of my adult life to being a ‘company man’, the transition to the next phase of my life away from the construction industry was always going to include some challenges. Planning and then making my dream trip to explore America on my Harley-Davidson proved to be the ideal vehicle for clearing my mind of old ways of thinking and being. I rode 21,475 miles, in 27 US states in four-and-a-half months.
My motorcycling trips have continued, with journeys across much of Europe, New Zealand, North Africa and Cuba.
A few years ago, I set up and now run Tour1, which takes riders on Harley-Davidson Authorised tours across Europe. See www.tour1.co.uk.
I live just north of London in the UK.

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US Tour - My Favourites Places I Went To....

It is difficult to choose, but here is my list of the highlights of my US tour, in the order I saw them in....